GOD BLESS AMERICA- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Disgusted with American society and diagnosed with a brain tumor, Frank teams up with teenager Roxy and the two begin killing reality TV stars, bigots and others they find repugnant in Bobcat Goldthwait’s black comedy.”
5/11/12- Fair professional reviews and better audience ones. TRDB.
Add comment May 11th, 2012
NESTING- 2012. Synopsis by Netflix. “Feeling like they’ve become boring, thirtysomethings Neil and Sarah take a trip down memory lane. They soon wind up breaking into the apartment they shared in their twenties — and throwing a party there that gets out of hand.”
5/11/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times and other professional reviews as well. So far audiences seem to have liked it. TRDB.
Add comment May 11th, 2012
YOU ARE HERE- 2010. Synopsis by Netflix. “In this inventive picture puzzle of interlocking plots, staffers at a call center dictate the movements of several subjects, an archivist (Tracy Wright) observes the shifting contents of her library, and a figure named Alan (Emily Davidson-Niedoba) sees a door where one hadn’t existed. Protagonists appear and recede, narratives ebb and flow, and the philosophical questions fly as characters plot their locations in technology-driven times.”
5/11/12- Very good professional reviews but awful audience reaction. This drama got a mixed review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment May 11th, 2012
A BAG OF HAMMERS- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Best friends Alan and Ben are unable to face adulthood and lead decent, moral lives, much to Alan’s sister’s chagrin. But when the twosome must become “fathers” to a new neighbor’s son, stealing cars at funeral homes is no longer an option.”
5/11/12- Poor review in today’s NY Times and in general. Audiences seem to have liked it though. TRDB.
Add comment May 11th, 2012
CORPO CELESTE- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Having recently returned to her native Italy after living in Switzerland for 10 years, quiet but curious 13-year-old Marta is left to her own demise while her loving but worn-out mother toils away at an industrial bakery. Marta’s only source of socialization is the local church, where she is told to attend preparatory classes for her confirmation. But the doctrines of Roman Catholicism offer little in terms of life lessons or consolation, and she quickly sees through the hypocrisy of the priest, who cares more about status than about his constituents. Eventually, Marta forges her very own way of the cross, which turns out to have much less to do with God than with her own climb towards adulthood.”
Very good early professional reviews and just OK audience reaction. TRDB.
Add comment May 6th, 2012
POLISSE- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “This French drama presents a fictionalized but well-researched portrait of the juvenile protection division of the Paris court system, following a documentarian as she films the employees in the department and the children under its authority.” Good early reviews. TRDB.
5/18/12- Good review in today’s NY Times and very good reviews by almost all critics. Audiences have liked it too. TRDB.
11/6/12- Although this movie was difficult to watch at times it was very realistic and portrayed well the stress that the police men and women are under while trying to protect children from predators. TRDB. Netflix Streaming.
Add comment May 5th, 2012
NEVER STAND STILL- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Legendary dancers and choreographers Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Suzanne Farrell, Mark Morris, Judith Jamison and Bill Irwin appear alongside new innovators to reveal the passion, discipline and daring of the world of dance.” Weak early reviews. TRDB.
Add comment May 5th, 2012
VIRGINIA- 2012. Synopsis by Rotten Tomatoes. “A single mother struggles to raise her son Emmett while dreaming of escaping her small Southern boardwalk town. Her long time affair with the very married, Mormon Sheriff Richard Tipton is thrown into question when he decides to run for public office. Things are further complicated when Emmett begins a romantic relationship with Tipton’s daughter. Virginia and the town-populated by Amy Madigan, Toby Jones, Yeardley Smith-are full of secrets and everyone knows Virginia can only keep things together for so long. VIRGINIA is a funny, touching drama that looks at the American Dream and what it takes to keep it together.” Good audience reviews so far. TRDB.
5/18/12- Weak review in today’s NY Times. TRDB.
Add comment May 5th, 2012
THE PERFECT FAMILY- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “When tightly wound suburbanite Eileen Cleary wins her church’s coveted Catholic Woman of the Year award, she pushes aside inconvenient truths — including an alcoholic son, a gay daughter and a philandering son — in favor of a “perfect” family.”
5/4/12- Poor review in today’s NY Times and mixed reviews elsewhere. TRDB.
Add comment May 5th, 2012
A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN- 2011. Synopsis by Netflix. “Marley Corbett (Kate Hudson) has always preferred to keep her romances relaxed and fun with no risk of commitment. After she discovers that she has terminal cancer, she thinks that she is done with love forever, but her wayward heart has other ideas. Dr. Julian Goldstein (Gael García Bernal) keeps people at a distance to avoid emotional distress, but when the spirited Marley becomes his patient, he also discovers that love can change everything.”
5/4/12- Awful review in today’s NY Times and elsewhere as well. TRDB.
Add comment May 5th, 2012